Community Corner

Pets Are Part of the Family Too

Journalism assignment by Natalie Sharpe.

Most Americans have furry, slimly or scaly friend in their house. They are domesticated animals that we love and we gave them the name of pets. Pets can comfort us, drive us crazy or make us laugh. They are the most loving and forgiving creatures. Pets can do many things for us and the price that comes with loving them sadly ends with having to say goodbye forever.

 Some who may choose not to have pets ask, “What’s the point of owning them? They cost more in the long run than what you originally paid for them. And you have to clean up their messes.” To those people, that is enough to not even bother buying a pet. However the people who do own pets do not see these things as burdens, but a necessity to owning them. They offer so much more in return. From a cat to a cow, each animal requires certain care procedures, and we don’t care how much it costs or what plans that may ruin.

 I unfortunally just lost my brother, who was indeed a cat named Jake. He found my mother when he was about 4 months old. He used a friend for transport to her, but as soon as they found each other, they were inseparable. My mom and dad already had two other cats, and no interest in a third. But they took him and he bounded to our three legged cat, Monty. When my mother was pregnant with me, Jake sat by her big belly and with his thunderous purr, sent the noise through my mother to where I could hear it. I would scramble to get to that magical noise and be at peace.

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 As I grew up, Jake never stopped loving me; the other cats didn’t care about my existence, and from day one I had Jake. When I learned to walk I’d pick Jake up and drag him around like a rag doll. Then I would plop him down for a rest and my mother would say, “Jake run! She let you go.” But he wouldn’t; he just waited for me to pick him up and drag him off somewhere new.

Not only did this cat let me drag him around, but he also let me use him as a baby and I put a diaper on him. And when I wanted to play hair dresser, he let me walk up to him with a pair of scissors and chop his whiskers off. This cat let me do what ever I wanted to do with him and to him.

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Getting ready for my 6th birthday party, I sprayed him with wood cleaner, not knowing what it was. He was immediately rushed to the vet. He ended up being fine; we just had to give him a bath. To any other cat, that would have been hard, but Jake is the only cat that I know that allows you to pop him in a sink full of water, shampoo him and then wash it off, and then dry him. You could do all of this without getting wet or come out of it bleeding. He just sat there and let it happen.

 When I was older I did get my pay back. Jake ruled the house, and everyone in it knew it and was forced to respect it, by either him or my mother. I got a cheetah print snuggie and used it about once, before Jake claimed it as his and his alone.

This is a tribute to my wonderful kitty that will missed very much. Jake lived to be 19 before a cancerous tumor took away his precious life. Rest in Peace.


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